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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by PhoenixGirl on December 7, 2004, at 21:44:14
I was just prescribed Zelnorm for Irritable Bowel Syndrome. The insert says that the drug affects serotonin, I think by increasing it somehow. I have depression and was wondering if it will help or hurt my emotions. Also, since it affects serotonin, does it affect sexual function?
Help!
Posted by stresser on December 8, 2004, at 19:35:16
In reply to Can the bowel drug Zelnorm affect mental illness?, posted by PhoenixGirl on December 7, 2004, at 21:44:14
Hi, I just read your post, and I also take Zelnorm for IBS, I also take welbutrin for depression. I did not read the package insert, and didn't notice that it said anything about depression.... wow. I was depressed before I started taking it, so I don't think it has anything to do with my depression. However; it may not be helping it. It has seemed a bit worse lately, and I can't figure out why. I need to read and do some research on my own. I hope I'm not stressing you too much with this, Zelnorm is a wonderful medication and it has helped me greatly....but...if it is causing my depression to increase I will discontinue it immediatly. I'm sure there are other medications out there, Zelnorm is a very new drug and I will resort to something that has been around for a while. Thanks for writing in, you may have helped me so very much! Let me know how you are doing.-L
Posted by Racer on December 8, 2004, at 19:50:35
In reply to Re: Can the bowel drug Zelnorm affect mental illness? » PhoenixGirl, posted by stresser on December 8, 2004, at 19:35:16
About 95% of the serotonin in your body is in the GI tract, so it's gonna get most of the effects of any serotonergic drug. Even SSRIs. :-) Zelnorm hits a different serotonin receptor than most of the ADs do, and it's an agonist, so it should raise the amount of serotonin circulating in your system, which is basically what ADs are doing, too.
Really, though, it shouldn't have all that much of an effect, since it's mostly stimulating peristalsis in the gut. I couldn't even find anything to say that it affected the CNS at all.
Hope that helps.
Posted by stresser on December 9, 2004, at 14:45:14
In reply to Re: Can the bowel drug Zelnorm affect mental illne, posted by Racer on December 8, 2004, at 19:50:35
Thank you so much for the information, I do feel much better. I did read the inset last night and found out the very same thing you just stated, but it helps to hear it again. Do you know if it causes harmful side effects to take Zelnorm longer than three months? I have been taking it since July, and just found out that it usually isn't taken for that long. -L
Posted by PhoenixGirl on December 9, 2004, at 21:03:19
In reply to Re: Can the bowel drug Zelnorm affect mental illne, posted by stresser on December 9, 2004, at 14:45:14
I don't know what happens after a few months. I think it's a new drug, and maybe they just haven't tested people past 3 months. The insert said that they have not.
I guess I'll just try Zelnorm, and if I notice effects I don't like, I'll stop taking it. If it helps, I'll keep taking.
This is the end of the thread.
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